


Letter from a Monster Hunter

by DairyProduceBasedCultLeader



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:27:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28323096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DairyProduceBasedCultLeader/pseuds/DairyProduceBasedCultLeader
Summary: A Monster Hunter goes missing on an expedition. Her mother receives a letter...
Kudos: 2





	Letter from a Monster Hunter

Kali Belladonna was sitting on her front porch in Menagerie one day, staring off into the distance and hoping one day her daughter would return. She had ventured out into the world, with dreams of adventure and discovery, and she'd never looked back.

She had, of course, always written letters home, discussing her adventures and the people she met, in the four kingdoms and beyond. And, she had come to visit every so often, bringing with her, incredible stories of great wonders and nightmare-inducing horrors,

But then one day, her letters stopped coming and she didn't visit home anymore. Her last letter had said something about finding some companions to travel with and made no indication that she would be going anywhere particularly dangerous or far-flung. She just seemed to have vanished off the face of Remnant, and there was nothing that could be done.

On this particular day though, a crow landed at Kali's feet and dropped a letter from its beak, before flying away. Looking down at the letter, she saw it had her family seal on it, which could only mean one thing, it was from her daughter.

Without hesitation, she grabbed it and opened it up, before starting to read. She was beyond desperate for any news, and the letter filled her with both a great sense of hope and a great sense of dread.

* * *

_Dearest Mother,_

_I hope this letter finds you well, and apologise for the extended period since our lasts correspondence. Regrettably, I must info you, that this is to be my final letter to you, as I will shortly be rendered incapable of writing. As such, I shall recount the events preceding my disappearance, and provide an explanation, as best I can, as to why I am unable to return home._

_Now, this all started, when my travel companions, whom I spoke of in my previous letter, Doctor Xiao Long and Captain Rose, and I, ventured to Atlas, in hopes of meeting the infamous Countess Schnee._

_Upon our arrival in the country, we were immediately apprehended by Atlesian soldiers, who accused us of being spies. Naturally, we argued our innocence and demanded an audience with their commanding officer, so they brought us before the highest officer in the land, a general by the name Ironwood._

_We made our case to the General, explaining to him our true intentions, and found him to be surprisingly sympathetic to our cause. As such, we were released without charge and given the freedom of the country, though we were warned, in no uncertain terms, that to venture out in search of Castle Schnee and the Countess, was nothing short of suicide._

_Of course, we took their warning to heart, before setting out regardless. There is no path leading to the castle, and many believe the place and the Countess herself to be nothing more than stories made up to scare children, but we ventured out into the icy wilderness, with a general idea as to where the fortress was supposed to be located._

_The cold was biting, and the route hard, but for the first few days we made good progress. We had a few close encounters with some of the local fauna, but other than that, those early days were without incident. We travelled through frozen mountain passes and barren forests but never came close to the dangers we were warned of._

_It stayed that way until we came across an isolated cabin. We were forced to take shelter inside when a blizzard kicked up, and that was when we first encountered the creatures we have since come to know as Grimm._

_The Captain easily disposed of them, with her pistols, and we were able to stay the night, but that was the point where everything started to go wrong. Over the following two days, we were constantly harassed and pursued by the Grimm. We were unable to stop or rest for that period and were exhausted by the time Castle Schnee came into view._

_The Grimm almost overwhelmed us before we reached the castle, as their numbers seemed to increase exponentially the closer we got. For each one we were able to eliminate, there were at least two more ready to take its place. We likely would have met our ends outside the castle gates, had Countess Schnee herself, not opened them and brought is inside._

_It seems that the stories about the Countess are mostly untrue, as, despite some initial awkwardness and distrust, she has proven herself to be an extremely hospitable host and a worthy ally against the Grimm. She is, as they say, a Vampire, but she does not partake of human blood, without express permission from those she feeds from._

_The Countess was kind enough to explain the Grimm to us, revealing that the beasts are the product of negative emotions. According to her, they first emerged, after a great battle took place in the vicinity of the castle, and she says that she has been alone in for centuries, as the Grimm kill off anyone who comes too close and prevent her from leaving._

_The Captain permitted the Countess to drink from her, in exchange for all the information she provided us, and the two of them soon entered a sapphic relationship. After that, we decided to stay with the Countess for a while, rather than attempting the perilous return journey._

_During our stay, we subsisted on the few native Atlesian fruits and vegetables, which grew in the castle's gardens. It was enough to keep us going for a few months, but eventually, supplies started to dwindle and we were forced to start rationing._

_It was at that point, that the Doctor and I began making plans for our departure, which caused some issues with the Captain, who was dead set on staying with the Countess. The arguments between the Doctor and Captain became extremely heated, only being prevented from escalating into violence when the Countess revealed her desire to leave with us._

_So, it came to a point where the four of us hatched an escape plan. It was ambitious and dangerous, but it was that or remain at Castle Schnee until all but the Countess starved to death. In hindsight, it is clear to me and the others, that we would have been better off letting nature take its course than trying to break through the Grimm hordes._

_For the plan to work, we required the Doctor to transform into her monstrous state, into the beast she refers to as Miss Branwen. The problem with that is that she loses most higher brain functions when she allows Miss Branwen to take over, and that makes keeping her under control and returning her to her human state, incredibly difficult, especially in dangerous situations like the one in which we found ourselves._

_On top of that, we required the Captain to employ her sharpshooting skills, which quickly used up the precious little ammunition she had left, after our previous encounters with the Grimm. Then there was the fact, that the Countess needed to use her enhanced speed and strength, which she had barely used during her centuries of isolation._

_So, we ventured outside and tried to fight our way through the Grimm, which had entirely encircled the fortress by that point. It started off well, with Miss Branwen clearing a path for us, the Countess tearing through those which pursued us, and the Captain and I repelling the beasts which attacked us from the sides._

_As I'm sure you can tell by now, things soon started to go wrong and the whole plan fell apart. Endless waves of Grimm came for us, and we just couldn't hold them off. The Captain ran out of ammunition, and the two of us ended up surrounded and separated from our allies. The Countess was surrounded and ended up losing an eye and despite being in her monstrous form, the Doctor had an arm torn off by one of the larger Grimm._

_We were on the verge of death when by some miracle, the Captain managed to petrify hundreds of the creatures with her eyes. It wasn't enough to allow us to escape, but it did enable us to retreat back to the castle. Now though, it seems as though dying out there would have been a better fate, than what has now befallen us._

_The Captain, she hasn't been the same since the miracle. She spends most of her time sleeping, but when she's awake, all she can do is scream in agony and hold her head. From the few coherent sentences I've been able to piece together, she has been suffering from extreme headaches since that day, and it's rapidly driving her to insanity._

_The Countess, she's not the same either. She spends most of her time hidden away in the depths of the castle, losing the eye and seeing what the rest of us have been reduced to, seems to have reduced her to nothing more than the empty shell of the majestic woman she once was._

_The Doctor, she may have it worst of all. Though I would never admit it to her, I had fallen deeply in love with her. But now, that eccentric beauty is no more, we managed to save her by cauterising her wound, but we have been unable to return her to her human form, and she's now stuck as Miss Branwen. I've tried speaking to her, but now she's nothing more than a feral animal._

_My fate, well, it isn't much better than the Doctor's. You see, I was bitten during the escape attempt, and now I'm changing. In one of the few conversations I've been able to have with the Countess, she theorised that the bite of a Grimm has the power to transform a human into something she calls a Demigrimm. I had my doubts initially, but then I grew a set of feline ears._

_Since then I've grown a tail and my feet have become paw-like, so I fear I am soon to become one of those beasts, or maybe something else entirely. Whatever happens, I just hope I lose my mind beforehand, I don't want to be trapped in a body that isn't mine._

_So, Mother, that is why I won't be coming home or writing again. I have managed to summon a messenger crow to deliver this letter to you, and I desperately hopes this finds you. I'm sorry it has to be this way, but please, whatever you do, never come looking for me or send anyone to find me, there is only suffering and pain here at Castle Schnee._

_Goodbye forever, Mother, and please let Adam and Ilia know how sorry I am. I love and miss you all more than you can possibly imagine, and I hope to see you all again in the next life if such a thing exists._

_Your loving daughter,_

_Blake Belladonna._

* * *

Kali dropped the letter and fell to his knees, her worst fears all being realised in a single instant. Blake had suffered a fate worse than death and she wouldn't be coming back.


End file.
